The international development minister, Mike Foster, said people had "responded magnificently".

"I think the very harrowing scenes on the ground that come through, being broadcast through people's TV screens, bring it home to individuals just the sheer scale of disaster that the people of Haiti are suffering," he told BBC News.

"Any natural disaster on that scale, I think, will bring the best out of people."

A special televised appeal for the DEC was broadcast on Friday evening on BBC One and ITV1.

Separately, the government has allocated £2m to deal with "logistical problems" on the ground in Haiti, such as the provision of cars and lorries to distribute aid, and to improve communications links.